SET THE STAGE FOR STUDENTS TO REACH THEIR CAMPUS

 

One question asked often: “How do I get my students motivated to share Christ?” Students who do talk about Jesus with their friends have two characteristics in common: A daily relationship with Jesus, and a desire to live out and speak about their relationship with Jesus with their friends. Equipping our students to embrace those two characteristics unleashes their motivation! But how do we get them there? 

 

Practicing then Playing

In any sport, intense preparation leads to winning. Preparing students to engage in the fierce activity of consistently sharing Jesus with their friends will motivate them toward that goal. But then we must create “real game” situations for them to put their preparation into action. Sure, practicing a sport is fun for a while, but then it’s time to “play the game”.

 

In so many youth ministries, honestly, weekly youth group meetings are just more “practice...practice...and more practice.” When do your students get into the rough and tumble, fierce intensity, adrenalin-flowing heat of the faith-sharing game—scared to death, not sure they can do it, yet stepping out and boldly talking about Jesus with their friends? Living out the gospel certainly involves training, but it also calls for putting that training into action. If we structure our youth ministry activities to spend less time in our “practice sessions” and more time in the “live action of the game”, then our students will become highly motivated and passionately enthusiastic about Jesus and about sharing their faith.

 

Think about it this way: The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee share close geographical proximity, and even resemble each other in many ways. However, they are radically different. One is like its name implies—dead...nothing can live in it. The other is fresh and full of life. The Dead Sea only has water flowing in—with no outlet to keep it fresh and alive. The Sea of Galilee has water flowing in and out—keeping it fresh, vibrant and alive.

 

If students only “take in” without ever “flowing out,” they become stagnant—often resulting in being bored and dropping out. They need an outlet for their faith. Where can they flex their spiritual muscles by boldly stepping out and sharing Jesus with their friends? How can that happen? It happens by praying for friends who need Jesus, by mentioning the name of Jesus—out loud and often, by standing for their faith against opposition, and then by seeing their non-believing friends decide to trust and follow Jesus! That’s when boring practice turns into exciting real game action! That’s when the Dead Sea becomes the Sea of Galilee! For students following Jesus, life doesn’t get any better than that!  

 

Preparing for a Real Game Environment

Jesus made it very clear what His “end game” and our “end game” is: “to seek and to save the lost.” Our coaching job as youth leaders is to continually prepare them for the “real game”—to instill in them fierce desires: to become more like Jesus every day and to do what Jesus did—“to seek and to save the lost”! Doing that will guide them toward God’s desire to reach their friends who desperately need Jesus. For that to happen we need to create the right environment. These powerful principles will create the kind of environment that will help them to switch from “practice mode” to “game mode.”

 

1. Practice Setting the Pace. All leaders can fall into the trap of telling people how to do things without doing them ourselves. Yet leaders are pacesetters. And Christian leaders set the pace in every area of the Christian life. Communicating Christ to others is one of those areas. And when we do that, then our students catch our enthusiasm, and much more readily share their faith with their friends, classmates and teammates. Our example sets the pace!

        

2. Pray Like Students’ Lives Depend on It. Someone once said, “Prayer is not preparation for the battle, prayer is the battle.” If leaders and students are trying to share their faith, or sharing it and not seeing people respond positively to Jesus, then perhaps it’s because we try to share Christ without covering our efforts in prayer. Throughout history prayer has lit the fire of evangelism and revival. And that reality will be true in your ministry as well.

 

You can ignite that spark with your students using this strategy that Jesus strongly encouraged:

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you agree about anything they ask for,

it will be for them by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.

(Matthew 18:18-20)

 

We can practically and personally express Jesus’ prayer strategy this way:

3 Christians pray

3 times a week for

3 non-Christian friends

 

Practically, the students in this “prayer triplet” agree to hold each other accountable to pray for and with their prayer partners three times a week. They can choose the time and place, and do it in person, online, or on the phone. By doing this for a school semester they will see the Lord answer many prayers in the lives of these nine people they pray for. Once they do this for at least a semester, then they can decide to renew their commitment and/or switch prayer partners. Either way they keep on praying...and sharing their faith.

 

[You can find more guidance on how to structure this by reviewing Section 2 – Embrace God’s Heart for the Campus, and in An Awesome Way to Pray (see Resources below).]

      

When students ask God to accomplish His purposes in the lives of their friends, they will see the Lord work in amazing ways. Keep reminding them that they need to follow up their prayers by allowing God to use them when they share their faith. They will come alive with enthusiasm as they see their prayers for non-believers answered.

 

3. Plan with a Purpose. You can create a “snowball effect” of students’ praying and sharing their faith by the way you plan your student gatherings. Evaluate by asking yourself: “Really, what are we trying to do here?” Consider these questions as you answer that question.

 

• Do we plan according to a well-stated “Mission Statement” like: “Our vision and mission: ‘To lead students to trust and follow Jesus and to make disciples?’”

 

• Are our gatherings conducive to leading non-believing students to know Jesus?

 

• Do we have a healthy balance between evangelism and spiritual growth?

 

• What creative steps can I take to make every youth group meeting an opportunity for students to respond to Jesus?

 

• How can I arrange the weekly agenda so believing students have a platform to start conversations about Jesus with those around them? (You can do this with students giving their testimonies up front, or in small groups with a “Jesus oriented” question for the group to discuss.)

 

• How can I give my Discipleship Group leaders the tools for students to equip them to share their Jesus story? (See Giving Away Your Faith below.)

 

• If I provide an opportunity for students to respond to Jesus, how can I equip and mobilize my students in discipleship groups as counselors? (Use Getting Started.)

 

Balance your gatherings with “take in” and “give out” opportunities that balance spiritual growth and evangelism.

 

By preparing for these three “real game” environments, you set the stage for evangelism, discipleship, and missions that will lead you toward a spiritual awakening—both for your students, but also for a spiritual movement on the campuses where your students attend. 

 

Your Next Steps

We encourage keeping a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans.

 

• Review the three points above and take steps to implement them:

–        How would you evaluate your lifestyle and the example it sets for students to share their faith? Resolve to make any adjustments you need to make.

–        Plan a prayer strategy to use with your youth group that involves prayer triplets. See An Awesome Way to Pray (in Resources below) for more details.

–        Assess the activities in your youth group for how well they balance the need to “take in” as well as to “give out”—building up and reaching out. Then develop a plan that reflects an appropriate balance, including opportunities for your students to be aware of and share their faith with non-Christian students around them.

 

Resources

• Go to barrystclair.com to download free:

–        An Awesome Way to Pray—Student’s Guide

–        An Awesome Way to Pray—Leader’s Guide

–        Giving Away Your Faith—To equip your students to share Jesus

–        Getting Started—To help new Christian begin their journey with Jesus

–        The Magnet Effect—To create outreach opportunities that have simple, yet powerful, strategies and tools to attract non-believing students to engage with the Gospel

 

• Go to: Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Online for a biblical, practical strategy for your entire ministry